American Friends of the Ness of Brodgar

The American Friends of the Ness of Brodgar Inc (AFNOB) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, ID 31954, IRS NO 46/4020309, established to foster public awareness of and provide financial support for the ongoing archaeological work at the Ness of Brodgar.

At the present time, the length of the excavation season is not controlled by the Orcadian weather, personnel limitations, site access or any other physical constraint — it is a function of available funding.

Relying on a cadre of international volunteers with a wide range of archaeological skills and experience, the site has been excavated each summer since 2007.

In 2012, several of the American volunteers identified the need to set up a charitable organization to encourage donations from our many American visitors, and to permit their generosity to be tax deductible in the US.

With a population under 23,000, Orkney is itself unable to fund the excavation. And, although generous, the donations from an annual 12,000 visitors do not cover the annual excavation costs.

A busy day on site. (Adam Stanford)

Eight weeks of excavation cost approximately $160,000, being $20,000 a week, $4,000 a day, $500 an hour. The annual costs include; stipends for supervisors and specialists, insurances for diggers & visitors, temporary site accommodation, materials e.g. tools and equipment, bags, pens and all the many supplies dozens of diggers need to be on site for eight weeks.

Since 2013, contributions to AFNOB have permitted us to contribute a significant amount annually toward the cost of excavation. Several very generous gifts have extended the digging season from 2015 to eight weeks, rather than the original six weeks.

With the most generous contribution of expertise, effort and time donated by several of the Ness’s multi-talented archaeologists, a Ness of Brodgar guidebook was written, and produced, in 2015.

Again, thanks to the generosity of our donors, AFNOB has been able to fund the publication of the guidebook, now in its second, and wholly updated edition, The Ness of Brodgar: Digging Deeper, which you can buy here. All proceeds from the sale of the guide go directly back into the work at the Ness.

We hope you will support our efforts by making a tax-deductible contribution to AFNOB here or by mailing a contribution to us at: